Free Never Say Spy by Diane Henders Page B

little goes a long way.”
    “Don’t let his babble fool you,” Kane advised.  “He’s a brilliant analyst.  He graduated at the top of his class, and CSIS recruited him right out of university.”
    “Oh, I certainly didn’t get the impression he was stupid,” I agreed as I opened the door.  “I need to stretch my legs.”
    Kane nodded, and we both got out.  He paced around the car stretching and flexing his neck and shoulders while I did some leg stretches, trying to persuade my stiffened muscles to relax.  When Spider returned a few minutes later with his snacks, we all piled back into the SUV and got back on the road.
    Webb struck up another conversation almost immediately.  Kane glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
    “Shut up, Webb,” he said mildly.
    Spider smiled and shrugged, unabashed.  But he did mercifully shut up.  He plugged his earbuds into his ears and turned his attention to his phone, texting at the speed of light.

Chapter 11               
     
    We pulled into Silverside shortly after noon.  Without discussion, Kane drove directly to Fiorenza’s, a little Italian restaurant.
    When we entered, Kane chose a table in the back with a commanding view of the rest of the tiny dining room.  I slid in beside him with my back to the wall, giving the restaurant my usual once-over and noting the exits.
    Spider’s humorous scrutiny made Kane ask, “What?”
    Webb laughed.  “You guys are two peas from a very scary pod.  You’re both sitting with your backs to the wall, doing that room scan thing.”
    Kane turned to me with a faint frown.
    “Habit,” I told him self-consciously.  “I told you I was paranoid.”  He gave me a half-smile and turned his attention to the menu, but continued to watch me surreptitiously.
    Great, he thinks I’m a nut case.  But surely I could be forgiven a little paranoia after the last twenty-four hours.
    We ordered, and Spider’s cheerful conversation filled the silence again.  I chatted with him as pleasantly as I could and Kane let the patter flow over him, responding noncommittally only to direct questions.  The food was excellent, and even Spider quieted to give it his full attention.
    When the bill arrived, I appropriated it and handed the waitress some cash.  “My turn,” I said to the men’s protests.  “Thanks for driving me.”
    “What do you mean, your turn?” Spider inquired.
    Guessing that Kane hadn’t had a chance to fill him in, I gave him a quick recap of the night’s events while we waited for the waitress to return with my change.
    “So you met Hellhound,” Spider said, quirking his eyebrows.  “What did you think?”
    I laughed.  “I like him.”
    “You’re definitely scary,” Spider said with a grin.
    We trooped back out to the SUV.  “We’ll go to the hospital first,” Kane said.  “Your paramedic might be on duty, but if he’s not we should be able to get a name and contact information.”
    Trepidation squirmed in my belly.  This had seemed like a good idea at first, but as I thought it through, I couldn’t foresee any positive outcome.  If the medic said he hadn’t seen Ramos, I could fall back on the ‘I bumped my head’ excuse, but I could hardly claim I’d been mistaken at the morgue, too.
    And if the medic said he’d caught me in a clinch with Ramos, how would I explain that?  I couldn’t even explain it to myself.  I blew out a miserable sigh.  Kane glanced over, but made no comment.
    When we arrived at the hospital, Kane showed his police ID to the hospital administrator.  “We’re looking for a paramedic who was on duty on Thursday at twelve thirty,” he informed her.  As she glanced up in alarm, he added, “He treated Ms. Kelly, and she wanted to talk to him to get a clearer picture of what happened.”
    Relief eased the administrator’s face.  “I’ll bring up the duty roster.” She clicked keys on her computer for a few moments and frowned at the screen.